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Oh no, my turn, should I or shouldn't I???

Long story short, a breeder I had contact with while looking for a puppy, emailed me today and offered me one of her retired females for a small fee. Honestly, what she is asking for is less than a normal vet visit. I'm going to be very careful here because I'm talking about a breeder. But here is the basic info.

She is 5 year old, just spade and had her teeth cleaned. She is PRETTY, I mean this girl is good looking. However, I do not want to get into a breeding health testing discussion but I will say she does not do what many of us on CT consider "must have testing" period no more about that.

This lady was super friendly with me and was great about answering all my questions honestly.....she does have a small breeding program and does raise her dogs in her home, as pets first. And I specifically asked her about this female because I was in love with her looks. So when she decided to "let her go" she emailed me first.

Alright so let's go over the pro's and con's

Pro's

~ I get a beautiful adult female cavalier she is blehiem
~ She needs a good home anyway
~Did I mention I have met her and she is sweet?????

Con's

~ I will be giving money to a breeder who does not health screen as we know she should
~ I have a puppy and a 4 yr old who are a hand full themselves
~ This dog could have or develop those serious medical problems

Ok so what is your input???? Be honest please I will not take offense promise. Honestly, I know it will be more work but I really do think I can handle it, I have still be looking at rescue dogs, if the "right" one were to come along I would go for it too. Only one question can I insure an older cavalier???

My opinion? Cons well outweigh the pros. The pros are all reasons many use to avoid supporting good breeders/buy cheaper. untested puppies etc. They aren't valid reasons to knowingly support this breeder.

In particular -- setting aside that you would unfortunately be funding her to continue to exploit the breed by poor breeding practice and inflict a higher likelihood of a lifetime of pain on her dogs and misery and expense on the families that buy her puppies (breeders can rehome their older dogs on the cheap and make lots of money off expensive puppies, when they do little testing in the first place -- raising dogs in the home is a bare minimum of care but not a criterion for a good breeder) --- I'd wait til your puppy and your 4 year old are older and easier to manage before diverting/spreading needed attention away from them.

If you have't seen an SM scream in pain, then it may be hard to visualise what many of us live with and what the breed is being bred to endure by every breeder who is making no attempt to limit this serious and widespread problem -- like the breeder you are considering supporting.

For those who need a reminder of why good, health-focused breeding is so important, this is it (and I think every cavalier owner needs to click this link):

Karlin really said it all.
I have two SM/CM dogs one with Luxating patella’s, degenerated discs and MVD. My third dog might be affected as well. I love them so much and it hurts that they might not be with me as long as I want them to be. My life has been turned upside down because all of the time someone has to be there to give tablets. I just thank god that I have very good insurance. When we got our Rosie 6 years ago I said that I would never have another breed but now I don’t think I could let another Cavalier into my heart. It just hurts too much and it’s like sitting on a time bomb.
I definitely wouldn’t give my money to a none testing breeder. Like you said with rescue at least the money goes to a good place.

I have to agree w/ Karlin.... You have a small 4 yr. old child..and a young puppy that need your attention. To divide it w/ another dog right now...may not be the best timing.
As much as I also agree w/ the buying from a reputable breeder..one that does proper health checks... can I say this?
It just makes me sad for these dogs. This poor Mama dog for the last 5 yrs. did nothing but give this lady a ton of puppies!! It deserves to be loved...but the fact we shy away ( because of these kind of breeders & the health risks) isn't fair to the dog IMO.
Many of us on this forum here have bought from good "reputable" breeders...but I'm still reading tons of health issues.
So how is there any guarantee? Not saying this to argue...Just asking?
We have had Wrigley tested for his heart, eyes, etc...and everything is good. But he is only 8 mo.'s old.
So gotta be honest...it scares me a little.

To answer your question, you can insure an older rescue. I have Elton, who I got from rescue when he was 4 1/2 and got him insured with pet plan. I had a claim for an MRI because I felt he was having symptoms and got most of money back.